The Attraction Fluctuation
by Angelic Guardian
Summary: AU. Amy has recently started dating a charming college professor and couldn't be happier. That is, until she meets one Sheldon Cooper and finds herself becoming more and more drawn to him, just as he is to her. Thus, Amy is forced to examine both relationships and figure out just what, or rather whom, it is she really wants.
1. David and Amy: Damy

**Author's Note: **This was originally going to be a oneshot, just sort of a slice of life story about Amy living a double life of having a boyfriend while dipping herself into dangerous waters by getting involved with the one and only brilliance that is Sheldon Cooper. However, my imagination decided to take this idea and completely run away with it, so it's now turned into a full-blown multichapter fic.

I hope you'll enjoy this forbidden Shamy tale with me, in which a fair amount of emotional angst will ensue on both ends. Don't worry, though, there will also be some humor and fluff thrown in for good measure. Just please keep in mind that this is an AU fic, meaning that anything that doesn't coincide with the show is intentional.

**Disclaimer:** The Big Bang Theory © Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady

* * *

Amy's heart pounded fiercely in her chest. Her heartstrings were like thin yet powerful strips of lightning striking against her ribcage, producing the sharp crackle of thunder inside her chest. She exhaled a heavy sigh through her thinly parted lips and reached for her glass of red wine on the table. She picked it up and twirled the liquid inside the clear glass before raising it to her lips and taking a few long, heavy gulps. The wine was light, smooth and just a little sweet, her personal preference over the rich, woody taste of a more expensive darker wine.

She forced herself to stop after three consecutive gulps, hurriedly slamming the glass back down on the table with a bit too much force, causing a droplet of the crisp red wine to jump out of the glass and land on the white linen table cloth. A deep blush coated Amy's cheeks as she scooped up the cloth napkin from her lap and draped it over the stain. The red blotch was a blatant sign of her nervousness, and she didn't want to have to stare at it for the rest of the evening.

It had been under two minutes since her date had excused himself to use the facilities, but to Amy, it might as well have been an eternity. She let out a small sigh and brought her hands up to rest them on top of the table. The restaurant had a quiet atmosphere, but it didn't help calm Amy's nerves. She stared at the untouched bread basket, debating whether or not to take one. Was it rude to start eating when your date was in the bathroom? She wished she knew the protocol. It definitely didn't help that this was her first real date in roughly nine years.

Dating didn't come easy to a woman like Amy Farrah Fowler. Boys tended to go for the prettier, not to mention bustier, girls rather than the intellectual, socially inept types. In fact, the closest thing Amy had ever had to a so-called boyfriend was during the fall semester of her junior year as an undergraduate. The guy she'd fallen for was a smooth talker, majoring in exercise science. He needed a certain amount of science courses in order to fill his prerequisites, which was how he and Amy had ended up in the same biology class together. He would talk to him occasionally and then, one day, seemingly out of the blue, he'd asked her out. She'd initially thought it was some sort of cruel practical joke, but he'd assured her that it wasn't, that he found her intelligence "sexy."

As it turned out, the real reason he'd asked her out and later even agreed to be her boyfriend was because he wanted her to do his biology labs for him. And Amy, being young and insecure, not to mention enjoying the first real attention that she'd ever had from the opposite sex that wasn't completely awkward, had accepted.

The relationship lasted nearly the entire semester, but during that time, the most action she'd gotten had been a few public hand holding sessions as they walked to their class from their dorm, and, on only one, lone desperate night, a deeply unpleasant make out session. Amy had been turned off by kissing ever since that sloppy, saliva-filled nightmare. She cringed at the very memory of it, how his lips felt so slimy against hers, how he'd tried to cop a feel of her buttocks, and she'd responded by giving him a much deserved clonk on the head.

From that moment on, she'd purposely distanced herself from men and dating. As an alternative, she focused on her studies all the way through graduate school, and after receiving her master's degree, she immediately went to work on her dissertation and obtained her PhD. Now, at thirty years old, her career in neurobiology was alive and thriving. She worked at UCLA, and it was there that she met the man she was currently out on a date with, David Drescoll.

Amy had seen him around the university over the past few months but had never approached him. It wasn't so much that he appeared to be unfriendly. He just always seemed to be occupied, whether it was eating lunch with his colleagues, grading his students' papers, or simply reading a book, Amy had always felt it an inopportune time to disturb him. Not only that, but with his appealing looks, she'd assumed that he'd had a girlfriend, or even a wife.

He was quite handsome, with golden blond hair and brown eyes so dark that they resembled a deep, blackened shade of charcoal. He had a cleft in his chin and dimples that were only noticeable when he smiled. He also wore a pair of sleek red glasses that added an air of sophistication to his appearance. Frankly, from all that Amy had gathered just by observing him over the past couple of months, he seemed like quite the charming, intelligent man, which was why she'd been completely thrown off when, upon talking to her for the very first time, he'd asked her out.

She'd tried not to sound so surprised when she responded, "Really?" When he just smiled at her, showing off those lovely dimples, she'd felt herself awestruck by how handsome he was, and she'd smiled back at him and nodded in acceptance.

Now, here she was, sitting by herself in an upscale restaurant, trying her hardest to ignore her growling stomach and her hammering heartbeat and just _relax._ Her hunger now seemed to be taking precedence over anything else she was feeling, and so, she finally gave in and reached for the bread basket, pulling out a piece of bread that was still warm to the touch. She brought it to her mouth and happily tore off a bite with her teeth, just as David finally returned to the table.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Amy," he said in his smooth voice. As he took his seat across from her, he looked at her and flashed an amused grin. "Digging into the bread already, huh?"

Amy swallowed, feeling her face heat up as she placed the half-eaten bread on her plate. "My apologies, David. I should've waited for you to return from the restroom before I began eating."

David let out a small chuckle as he reached into the bread basket himself. "I'm only teasing you," he assured her, biting into his own piece of bread.

Amy grinned in relief. She picked up her bread and tore off another piece, popping it into her mouth. As David finished off his piece, he picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. Amy watched as his Adam's apple bobbed gracefully as he swallowed.

"So," he said, placing the glass down and cupping his hands in front of him, "tell me, Amy, what do you like to do for fun? Are you the kind of person who likes to go out and party, or are you more of a homebody like me who'd rather sit on the couch reading a good book?"

"I never would've pegged you as a homebody," Amy noted, and when David briefly furrowed his eyebrows, she felt the need to clarify. "What I mean is, from what I've observed at the university, you're always in someone's company. Therefore, based on that evidence alone, one could logically infer that you seem to be more outgoing rather than introverted."

David smirked then, a mischievous half-smile that caused Amy to inadvertently suck in a small gasp of air. "You've been…observing me?" he asked coyly.

Amy's face ignited so fast and thoroughly that she felt the heat instantly spread all the way to her ears. This was not going as she'd hoped. She was making an utter fool of herself, and she needed to do some damage control quickly before she screwed things up even more. "No, I… Of course not. That would be downright absurd. I…I simply meant that you…" She bit her tongue as David started to chuckle lightly, which only caused her cheeks to flare up even more. She felt like the biggest idiot in the world. No wonder she never went out on dates. This was a huge mistake.

"Amy," David said, still laughing a little bit. He suddenly leaned over the table, clasping a strong hand over the back of her hand. She twitched involuntarily, glancing down at his hand, then back up into his smiling eyes. They were so warm and welcoming that she was finding it hard to look away in spite of her embarrassment. "You don't need to be so nervous around me. I'll save you all your worrying right now and tell you flat out that I like you, and I'm having a really nice time getting to know you."

In spite of everything, Amy found herself grinning. She could feel her heartbeat slowing down at last as she let out a long, soft sigh. Her shoulders relaxed and dropped slowly, as though the tension were literally melting off of her body.

"I'm very much enjoying getting to know you as well, David," she said, absorbing that simply mesmerizing, heart stopping smile of his. With a new surge of confidence rushing through her veins, Amy picked up her wine glass and held it up in a toast. "To a lovely first date."

David's wide, confident grin softened slightly, his eyes boring into hers. He gave her hand a tiny squeeze before releasing it and picking up his own wine glass. "To a lovely first date," he echoed, then added, "with a simply lovely woman."

Amy blushed again, though for an entirely different reason. As they lightly clinked the rims of their glasses together and each took sips of their wine, she finally let go of all her worries and took confidence in the fact that she could just be herself around him.

* * *

The Italian cuisine that Amy and David had consumed had been abundant and flavorful. Amy nursed her second glass of wine, being mindful not to drink it too quickly and risk doing something foolish. She so rarely drank alcohol that the first glass of wine had already done a sufficient job of providing her with a warm, tingling buzz in her head. She certainly wasn't looking to get drunk on the first date with a seemingly perfect man who could just as easily turn around and try to have his filthy way with her.

"David," Amy said. She set down her wine glass and looked at him straight on. The jubilant smile on his face dimmed slightly, perhaps from her stern tone, but she didn't allow that to hinder her from saying what she needed to say. "While I've enjoyed spending this time with you thus far, I now feel the need to ask you a straightforward question that will require a candid answer from you. Are you all right that?"

David looked taken aback as his eyebrows shot up, but he held up his hand to gesture for her to continue. "Please, by all means," he said. "Ask away."

Amy took a deep breath and released it in a short sigh, bracing herself. She stared into David's eyes, searching for some signs of deceit or malice, but all she could see was that same warmth she'd been getting lost in over the past hour, coupled with slight apprehension now.

They'd discussed a number of topics, ranging from the research on her latest study, to what was clearly his favorite topic of discussion: literature. She'd found herself deeply fascinated by his vast knowledge of the subject while he shared with her some of his favorite authors and poets. She supposed it only made sense that he'd be so passionate about the subject, given that he was an English professor.

She knew she was becoming quickly enamored with him, and before she could allow herself to become more emotionally invested, she needed to know what his true intentions were. She cleared her throat and straightened her posture, allowing her confidence to resurface as she asked him point-blank, "Is the reason you asked me out because you wish to engage in sexual intercourse with me?"

Thankfully, David hadn't been drinking his wine while she was asking that question, because judging by the cough he'd just emitted and the sheer shocked look on his face, he likely would've choked on it.

"E-Excuse me?" he asked, but Amy just waited as he took a moment to compose himself. "Well, um, since you've asked for an honest answer, I'll give you one. I'll admit that part of the reason I asked you out is because I find you attractive. That being said, you should know that I'm not the kind of guy to just jump into sex without being in a committed relationship. I've done it in the past, and I've found that all it leads to is broken hearts for both involved. So, to answer your question, no, I am by no means solely looking for a physical relationship."

"I appreciate your honesty," Amy said sincerely. "I only asked because I need you to know up front that I'm not some hussy looking to partake in a passing fling. Don't get me wrong, I find you attractive as well. Very attractive, actually, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to give in to that attraction anytime soon by getting, to use one of the endless sexual euphemisms, 'frisky' with you. I have boundaries that I feel mustn't be crossed until I'm completely comfortable and ready to move forward in the relationship."

The captivating grin returned to David's face as he nodded his head. "And I respect the hell out of that, Amy Farrah Fowler."

Although David's smile quickly faded as the waiter passed by them and he attempted to get the young man's attention, Amy found a grin of her own glowing across her face, and she realized then that it wasn't about to go away anytime soon.

She was smitten.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, there you have it. Amy's falling for a guy who isn't Sheldon. Thoughts on that? You'll get to know David more as the story progresses. Obviously, though, I know you're only reading this for the Shamy. Well, not to worry, because the mighty Sheldor will be making his first appearance in the next chapter. ;)

In the meantime, please leave a review letting me know what you think of it so far. :) I'll try to update as consistently as possible about once a week, but I kindly ask that you'll just be patient with me when it comes to updates. It's been three years since I've written a multichapter fic, so I'll need to get back into the swing of it again.


	2. Terrible Twizzlers

Amy stood in front of her bathroom mirror, running a brush through her long brown hair. She hummed to herself as she stared at the reflection of the positively elated woman whom she hardly recognized to be herself. The exuberant smile that dazzled across her features made her feel like a real life princess. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so effortlessly happy, and she knew that it was all because of David.

It had been three weeks since their first date, and during that time, they had slowly moved from the getting to know each other phase of their relationship to something a little deeper. Amy was getting more and more comfortable around him, and much of it had to do with his respect for her hesitancy to become intimate too quickly.

In fact, David had yet to attempt to make an inappropriate physical move on her, and she was beyond grateful for it. She simply enjoyed the time she spent with him, not just on their dates, but at the university as well. She started coordinating her schedule around his so that they could eat lunch together. They traded stories and laughs, and the more time she spent with him, the more confident she became that he truly was a perfect gentleman and just may be worthy of becoming her boyfriend.

She was hoping that tonight would be the night that they would officially make their relationship exclusive. Amy got butterflies in her stomach just thinking about it. She wasn't exactly sure how the conversation would go, but she assumed that the socially acceptable way to go about it would be to wait for David to ask her to be his girlfriend. Amy's heart fluttered as she grinned even wider and clasped the handle of the brush in front of her body. She simply could not wait. Perhaps tonight would also be the night that she would finally let him kiss her.

She was still a little apprehensive at the idea of allowing herself to surrender to her growing feelings for David by giving into her natural biological urges. She was pleased with herself in her ability to not only tame the urges but suppress them over the years. It had been so long that she'd almost forgotten what they felt like. The unpleasant experience in college still haunted her every now and again. The logical part of her knew that it would be different with David, as he was mature and well-mannered, but there was a still a miniscule, yet powerful part of her that worried about the consequences of diving into a physical relationship with him. Kissing was one thing. Sex was certainly another. The mere thought of seeing David naked brought heat to Amy's cheeks and a nervous swirling in her stomach.

She just wasn't ready for that quite yet. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she'd ever be ready for it anytime soon, but she took comfort in the fact that David would be patient with her. He really was understanding and sweet, something she almost found too good to be true.

A soft knock at the door suddenly drew Amy out of her thoughts and back to reality. She quickly ran the brush through her hair one more time before setting it down on the sink and shutting off the light. As she walked out of the bathroom, the knocking stopped, but she already knew who was behind the door. She crossed through her living room, glancing over at the clock on her oven to see that it was a few minutes past seven o'clock. She grinned to herself. He was fashionably late, as always.

She opened the door and only grinned wider. "Good evening, David," she said in a hospitable tone.

"Good evening, my dear Amy," David replied, awarding her with a dashing smile. "You look remarkably ravishing as always."

She did her best not to blush at the compliment. "Thank you, David. You, too, look just as handsome as you always do."

"Well, then," he said, holding up his arm with his elbow bent. "Shall we venture off to our date?"

Amy giggled at his purposely diplomatic dialect. He had quite the unique sense of humor. Without hesitancy, she slid her hand through his arm and clasped her fingers around his elbow. "Lead the way, kind sir."

As they left her building, Amy found that it was a warm, calm night, a perfectly serene backdrop to what she just knew would be yet another pleasant evening spent in David's company. As far as she was concerned, as long as she was with him, it was like nothing else mattered. Tonight would be wonderful, just as every other date they'd been on thus far.

There was absolutely nothing that ruin their romantic evening together.

* * *

"You can't possibly be serious when you say that you've run out of Red Vines. What kind of poor excuse for a movie theater concession stand do you think you're running here?"

"I assure you, sir," an overweight teenager said from behind the counter, "we take our customers' candy consumption needs very seriously here. I personally care very deeply that you won't be able to enjoy your precious Red Vines while watching your movie tonight. Might I suggest buying a pack of Twizzlers instead?"

_"Twizzlers?_" the irate man snapped back, completely appalled. "Do you really expect me to swap out Red Vines, a delectable red licorice candy, for Strawberry Twizzlers, a brand of candy which pales in comparison in flavor, texture and overall satisfaction?"

"You can have them for fifty cents off," the teenager offered.

The tall man stared at the teenaged employee for a long moment, his eyes intense and twitching slightly as he narrowed them at the worker. Slowly, he reached for his wallet, where he took out four dollars and plunked them down on the counter. The unenthusiastic teenager took the money and popped open the cash register to get two quarters. He slapped them down on the counter with a loud _clink,_ then reached beneath the counter to get the Twizzlers, which he held out for the man.

"Enjoy you movie," he said, "and your Twizzlers. _S__ir."_

"I won't enjoy them," the lanky customer said plainly as he picked up his change and candy, straightening his shoulders. "And by the way, you should know now that this transgression will not go unpunished. I'll be contacting the Better Business Bureau within the next 72 hours, and I'll be sure to inform that you…" He paused to read the teenager's name tag. "…Paul, were of no help to me whatsoever."

"That's awesome," Paul said with no enthusiasm. "I'm sure that conversation will go really, really well."

"Sheldon," a much shorter man with glasses said from a few feet away, standing alongside two other extremely nerdy looking guys. "Come on already. The previews are about to start."

"Ha. Sheldon," Paul snickered.

"Excuse me?" Sheldon said, entirely offended. "Why did you just repeat my name and include that haughty laugh?"

_"Sheldon,"_ his friend repeated.

"Fine," Sheldon said, taking one final angry look at Paul before he joined his friends. "I'll see to it that you get demoted to cleaning toilets."

"Yeah, well, joke's on you, 'cause I already do that," Paul called out to him, but the four of them completely ignored him as they handed the usher their movie tickets and walked away. "Dick," he muttered to himself.

* * *

Sheldon followed behind Leonard, Howard and Raj, carrying his Cherry ICEE in one hand and his horrendous package of Twizzlers in the other.

"I still don't understand why we're seeing this movie when there are a number of other films we could be watching," Sheldon said as they headed toward the darkened theater.

"The only other movies that are playing right now are animated films and a couple of bad buddy comedies," Howard said.

"What's wrong with animated films?" Raj asked. "They're adorable."

"They're for _kids,"_ Howard said.

"So? That also includes those who are kids at heart," Raj said, resulting in Howard rolling his eyes.

"Sheldon," Leonard spoke up, "I already explained this to you before we left. Penny wants to go see this scary movie tomorrow night, and I don't want to do anything that would be considered unmanly in front of her, like scream like a girl or shield my eyes at the sight of blood. I want to be the one to protect her, not the other way around, and the only way to do that is for me to watch the movie beforehand so I'll know what to expect."

"I honestly don't understand the mass appeal of horror films," Sheldon said, disregarding Leonard's reasoning because he simply didn't care about it anymore. "It's an overrated genre that consists of the same hackneyed elements. There's a slow build up of suspense, paranoia and emotional tension through dramatic effects and music, only to be released through grotesque images of blood and gore coupled with deliberately enhanced screaming to add some sort of shock value."

"What, is the amazing Sheldon Cooper scared of a little blood?" Howard asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I am not frightened by the sight of blood," Sheldon said defensively, but after a moment of hesitancy, he admitted, "I simply become nauseated and have been known to faint on occasion."

"On _occasion?"_ Leonard scoffed. "What about that time you got a paper cut from turning the page of one of your _Amazing Spiderman_ comic books too quickly, and then you passed out cold on the floor of our apartment and didn't wake up for a whole five minutes?"

"It was four minutes and eighteen seconds," Sheldon corrected, "and the only reason I passed out was because I was in excruciating pain. If you recall, I had to numb my finger to alleviate the stinging sensation."

"Right, and that's totally not a big deal, considering it was a _paper cut,"_ Leonard said.

"Exactly. About time you finally see my point, Leonard," Sheldon said as they finally entered the theater and began walking to the ideal center seats where the acoustics were perfect.

"That was sarcasm, Sheldon," Leonard informed him. "And by the way, that guy working the concession stand threw about four sarcastic comments your way that all went completely over your head."

Sheldon blinked in dismay at this knowledge. "Is that number an estimation or an approximation?" he asked, disappointed with himself at his inability to have seen that.

Leonard just shook his head as they approached the most desirable row of seats in the theater. Specifically, it was the third seat from the aisle where the vents were at a perfect distance so that it wasn't too chilly, and the speakers were at just the right angles so that the movie wasn't too loud. While it wasn't equivalent to Sheldon's spot on the couch, the center of his entire universe, in a movie theater setting, it came close, and no one would stand in his way of sitting there.

Upon reaching the row of seats, however, Sheldon was the first to stop in his tracks. A woman was sitting in that third seat, _his_ seat, seemingly deep in conversation with a man sitting to her left. Sheldon felt the torrid rush of anger whirl through him. He took a moment to compose himself by closing his eyes and using Kolinahr to squelch his anger.

Then, when his eyes flew back open, he went to work.

"Excuse me," he began politely enough. Both the man and woman tore their gazes from one another to look up at him. "I'm going to have to ask that the two of you move to some other seats, as my friends and I would like to sit there."

The woman blinked as she lowered her eyebrows, where they nearly hid behind the rims of her glasses. "Well, sorry to you and your friends, but these seats are already taken."

Sheldon's eye twitched involuntarily. He squeezed the Twizzlers in his hand, the plastic crinkling from the pressure. He took a deep breath, knowing he had to maintain his composure. He wouldn't give up so easily. "I'm quite aware, but that doesn't change my request of wanting you to immediately move to another seat so that I can sit there."

"Sheldon," Leonard hissed at him, before looking at the woman and offering her an uneasy smile. "I'm sorry. Don't mind him. He's off his meds."

Sheldon snapped his head to Leonard, his anger flaring up all over again. "I'm not _crazy._ My mother had me—"

"Tested. We _know _already," Leonard rudely cut him off. "God, you say that so often it might as well be your catchphrase."

"First of all, I hardly say it that frequently, only when the situation requires it," Sheldon said, barely taking a breath as he continued, "and second of all, if I _were_ to have a catchphrase, it would be something memorable and catchy, hence the term, _catch_phrase."

"Ooh, like Bazinga?" Raj asked.

"Bazinga is a word solely meant to be said after I've pulled one of my classic pranks, and I am by no means in a laughing mood right now," Sheldon said, before locking his gaze back onto the stubborn woman who was being unnecessarily difficult. "I will make this request only once more. Please move to another seat."

The woman raised her chin and responded with a clear and defiant, "No."

"Okay, you heard her, Sheldon. Let's move along," Leonard said quickly before Sheldon had a chance to retort. "Sorry again for bothering you."

Sheldon didn't move at all as his three friends walked a little farther down and began taking seats on the right side of the theater. Sheldon was experiencing such an intense whirlwind of frustration that he was blinded by everything else, whereas this woman was simply sitting there, completely uncaring of the situation.

"I believe your friends are waiting for you," she said, her tone calm and straightforward, one of the few inflections he was able to easily recognize. Somehow, her aloof behavior only made him feel even angrier.

He reluctantly turned away and walked the short distance to his new seat at the very end of the aisle, where he sat down and immediately felt a draft. He slid his ICEE into the poorly made cup holder that barely succeeded in supporting his soft drink. He'd been tightly clutching the cold cup for such a long period that he hadn't realized until he began to move his fingers that his hand was practically numb.

Sheldon narrowed his eyes and cast a glance back at the woman who'd caused him so much trouble. She'd resumed talking to the man beside her, but even with his Vulcan hearing, Sheldon was unfortunately unable to pick up on what they were saying now that the previews were starting. With a loud huff, he turned back in his seat to look at the screen.

The only bright side to this horrible situation was the knowledge that he would never have to see her ever again.

* * *

**Author's Note: **That's what _you_ think, Sheldon. The hostility will continue in the next chapter. I mean, what, did you think Sheldon and Amy were just going to hit it off right away? That wouldn't be any fun, now, would it? ;)

By the way, for the record, I have nothing against Twizzlers. I personally love them, actually. XD


	3. Battle of Wits

About thirty-five minutes into the movie, Amy saw a tall, pale and lanky man, the same one who'd so impolitely demanded that she'd move to another seat, get up and walk rather briskly out of the theater. She blinked and stared out after him, finding herself pondering why he'd just run out so quickly. The two likeliest reasons she could think of off the top of her head were that he either needed to void his bladder after consuming that large ICEE he'd been holding, or he found that the movie was becoming too disturbing to watch and needed to step out.

Amy, herself, had a very strong stomach when it came to things that average people tended to become queasy at. She did, after all, slice open brains on a weekly basis, and the sight of a little blood every now and again was something she was more than used to seeing. Not to mention, after having to put up with nicotine-deprived monkeys who would become so angry they'd start flinging their own feces at her, it was somewhat difficult to be disgusted by anything else.

Her thoughts immediately traveled back to that man. _Sheldon_ was his name, apparently, as his friend had addressed him as such. He'd certainly had some audacity to ask her to move to another seat like that, as if he thought he owned the theater and the seat was so rightfully his. When she'd commented on it to David, he simply patted her hand and praised her for her holding her own against, as he'd put it, "that insane guy."

Amy tried to bring her attention back to the movie, in which the dramatically suspenseful music had grown louder, signifying that the young woman walking by herself in the pitch blackness of the outdoors was about to be killed very soon. Amy shifted in her seat, trying to get more comfortable, but for some reason she found herself struggling to focus on the movie's storyline. All she could think about was that Sheldon person and why he'd just bolted out of here.

She wondered if perhaps the real reason he left was because he had some sort of compulsive need for familiarity, and being that she was sitting in his seat, the unwanted change had caused his cerebrum to command him to get out of there for some sort of relief.

The more she pondered this hypothesis, the more her scientific curiosity had started to get the better of her, and she found herself itching to go speak to him in order to figure it out. She decided that, if anything else, she could at least tell him off for being so rude to her. After all, it wasn't like she'd ever see him again after tonight. She really had nothing to lose, only to gain, whether it was a little knowledge, or a little satisfaction by rightfully putting him in his place.

She cleared her throat and leaned in closer to David so that she could whisper to him, "I need to use the restroom. I'll return in about five minutes."

David glanced at her. The red lighting from the movie screen reflected in his glasses, making it all the more difficult for her to see his dark brown eyes. He nodded and whispered back, "No problem. And don't worry, I'll make sure that that weird guy doesn't try to steal your seat."

Amy smiled at him. It wasn't the same full-on grin that he'd been putting on her face for the past three weeks. It was a bit weaker. She didn't dwell on it, though, for she had a new mission that she needed to see through. She got up and made her way down the aisle, and just as she exited the theater, she heard the shrill scream of the young woman meeting her imminent demise.

She squinted her eyes to adjust them to the overwhelming brightness of the fluorescent lighting outside the theater, a brightness that was in stark contrast to the darkened movie theater. As she approached the theater lobby, she could hear a man speaking abrasively about wanting a refund for his Twizzlers, and she came to recognize that the voice sounded awfully familiar.

Amy quietly walked into the lobby to find that, sure enough, Sheldon was standing there, arguing with the employee behind the concession counter.

"Now listen here, _Paul,"_ he spat. "I've about had it up to here with your incompetence. I demand that you issue me a full refund of three dollars and fifty cents, or else I'll have no choice but to get your manager involved."

Paul snorted. "Trust me, dude, you don't want to get him involved. He'll not only throw you out of here, but ban you from this theater for life."

"I highly doubt he has that kind of authority."

"Want me to get him so you can find out?"

Sheldon fell completely silent as he glared at Paul with the utmost intensity. He seemed to be processing the realization that he couldn't win, and so, he picked up his opened bag of Twizzlers and turned sharply to stalk off, only to freeze right there when he saw Amy. For some reason, whether it was out of surprise at the way he was looking at her, or the fact that he was so angry, she heard a soft gasp and realized a second later that it had come from herself.

"You're the rude woman who wouldn't let me sit in my seat," he said in such a point-blank fashion that she felt her eyebrows shoot up her forehead.

Thinking on her feet, she decided to throw an insult right back at him. She folded her arms over her chest as she retorted, "And _you're_ the rude man who demanded I move to another seat as if that one somehow belonged to you."

"I'll have you know that I've sat in that very same seat every single time I've come here," he explained, as though he were all-important. "There was only one previous instance in which somebody else had already been sitting there. It was an unruly teenager sitting with his girlfriend, and when I'd persistently asked him to move, he finally gave in after calling me a rather crude euphemism for male genitalia."

"Ha. Dick," Paul snickered, smiling in absolute glee.

Sheldon gave him another cold-cutting glare, and Amy looked at him as well, raising an eyebrow. Paul looked between the two of them and slowly frowned. He picked up a rag from the counter and proceeded to turn his back to them, where he started absentmindedly wiping down the sticky surface around the butter dispensers.

"Well," Amy said after the awkward moment had passed, "while I wouldn't go so far as to use such a crass term to describe you, I stand by my statement that your actions were not only rude, but extremely uncalled for."

"I wholeheartedly disagree with that assessment," Sheldon said stubbornly, and it was then that Amy began to realize that this man obviously had a very one-track way of thinking. It was either his way or no way. He opened his mouth again, apparently having more to tell her about how wrong she was. "The main reason being that, since you're a complete stranger who's accumulated interaction with me hasn't even surpassed a total of five minutes, you hardly have enough evidence to reach such a conclusion, let alone one that dictates that _I'm_ the so-called 'rude' one."

"On the contrary," Amy said, "from what I've observed about you in this very short time, your petulant reactions to not getting what you want screams a sense of egotism that reaches a height I've never even imagined to have been possible in any normal human being."

Amazingly, instead of looking offended from what she'd said, he _smirked._ "The mere fact that you assume I'm some sort of average human being not only proves my point that you hardly have enough data to make an accurate judgement of my character, but that you're a mere naïve bystander who hasn't the slightest idea just how vastly supreme my intellect truly is."

Amy blinked. Her mouth fell open, but no words came out. She was so completely dumbstruck that she'd been literally rendered speechless. To say that this man was the most egotistical person she'd ever met would be the greatest understatement she could have ever thought of. She'd come here with the intent to either make some sort of sense of him, or effectively put him in his place, but instead, she felt both utterly stupefied and more insulted than ever, especially now that he'd taken a jab at her intelligence.

She cleared her throat and did her best to shake away the combined feelings that led her on the verge of sheer outrage. She could still put him in his place, and she was going to do it, because he'd just made it personal now.

"For your information, I have a doctorate in the field of neurobiology."

Sheldon was the one to blink and slightly part his lips now, and at the sight of the befuddled look, Amy allowed a pompous smirk to slide across her face. She knew he had nothing clever to say to that. She'd won the battle.

But then, he spoke again.

"Well, I have two doctorates, both in the field of physics, and yet I fail to see how that's at all relevant."

The smirk on Amy's face immediately vanished. She uncrossed her arms and let them fall stiffly at her sides. She'd lost the battle. He was undoubtedly a strong force to be reckoned with, yet there were only so many quick-witted replies a person could think of, and clearly, none of them seemed to work on him. He was impervious to anyone's logic other than his own.

Amy sighed heavily, realizing she had no choice now but to accept her defeat and move on. "Fair enough," she said. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll be heading back inside now. I've already kept my—" She stopped abruptly as she thought about David and how she should address him. Technically, he wasn't her boyfriend yet, but at the same time, he was definitely more than just her friend. She finally settled on the most accurate word she could describe him as, and finished, "_—date_ waiting long enough."

"I see," he said with a nod. "Clearly, you're using that unimportant excuse as a scapegoat in lieu of simply admitting the glaringly obvious fact that you're wrong and I'm right, just as, incidentally, I always am."

Amy's eyes widened in complete and utter dismay. Just when she thought this guy couldn't get any more arrogant, he outdid himself with an even _more_ outrageously egotistical comment. It was quite astounding, to say the least.

What was most off-putting, though, was that, while he was clearly a mental threat, he appeared to be of no physical threat whatsoever. Aside from his height, which in comparison towered over David, who was roughly two inches or so taller than her, he lacked any sort of muscular build.

Then, there was his attire, which looked to be anything but intimidating. He donned a beige windbreaker, khaki pants and a black t-shirt that had what she recognized to be a Batman symbol on it. Although, the symbol itself wasn't a solid yellow oval with the black winged image as it usually was, but rather it blended in color from green to blue to purple.

She snapped her head back up to look him in the eyes. He was rude, and if she couldn't accomplish anything else that she had intended to accomplish, she at least wanted him to know that much. "What gives you the right to speak to me like that? Just who do you think you are, exactly?"

His eyebrows briefly came together, but he was quick to respond, "I'm Sheldon Lee Cooper, a vastly superior intellect who's primary purpose in life is to unravel the endless mysteries of the universe, so that I may one day win a Nobel Prize, and perhaps have a city or landmark named after me."

Amy wanted to laugh then, but she restrained herself out of respect, and maybe even the slightest bit of sympathy. He may very well be a genius as he claimed to be, but he clearly didn't understand sarcasm or the purpose of a rhetorical question. That, alone, explained more about him than anything else he'd just revealed to her during their entire conversation.

She decided to play him at his own game.

"Well, I'm Amy Farrah Fowler, a respected neurobiologist whose primary goal in life is to successfully map out the neurological workings of the human thought processes, which will not only be considered a revolutionary breakthrough in any and every field of science, but also make your research null and void."

She raised both of her eyebrows, silently daring him to make a comeback that was even remotely clever. She studied his face carefully, noting how his right eye began to twitch ever so slightly. She could feel another smirk coming on. Perhaps she would win this battle of wits after all.

"If you don't mind," he said through practically gritted teeth, "I'll kindly ask that you step aside now so that I may return to the theater."

Amy grinned. She'd won. She'd actually _won._ It probably made her feel more smug than it should have, but she just couldn't help herself. In fact, she felt the need to push the envelope just a little bit further to seal his fate once and for all.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, which is, incidentally, highly unlikely, but it appears that the tables have turned, and _you_ are now the one who is looking for an escape to this conversation, for you've realized that your point is moot, and that you can't possibly think of a way to one-up my logic."

Now, his eye had stopped twitching, and he was simply staring at her intently. While she could see that he was trying to give off an intimidating exterior, she knew it didn't matter, because there was nothing he could say that would allow him to take back control and make her feel inferior.

"Judging by your tone, I can only assume that you're being condescending, and I have to tell you that I don't quite care for it at all," he said at last, which admittedly was a rather disappointing reply. All that waiting for nothing.

"Nor do I from you," she countered.

"Well, it's certainly not my fault that you misconstrue my stating the truth as condescension."

As much as she didn't want to, Amy forced herself to bite her tongue. It seemed that even with her small victory, he absolutely refused to quit and admit that we was in the wrong. She realized that all they were doing now was going back and forth with no end in sight. One of them needed to end it, and it seemed that Amy had to be the one to do it.

"Okay, then. As I've mentioned earlier, I must be heading back inside now, as I've informed my date that I would be returning in five minutes, and it's been well over five minutes. So…" She gave a curt nod and added, out of politeness, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"If I could think of a way to share that sentiment and make it sound sincere, I would," he said, "but frankly, I feel that this meeting was both highly unpleasant and downright infuriating. Thus, I'll spare you the false pleasantries and simply bid you a goodnight."

He reciprocated the curt nod, and all Amy could do was blink in return, finding herself feeling entirely baffled all over again. Apparently, he was brutally honest, too.

"Goodnight," she repeated, and with that, she finally turned away and headed back into the theater, the feelings of confusion buried deep in her mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So… Did you enjoy that crazy weird tension between Sheldon and Amy? 'Cause I'm not gonna lie, I sure as hell did while I was writing it. ;D


	4. Make It Official

Thankfully David had made Amy feel a lot better once she'd re-claimed her seat beside him. All it took was a flash of his warm smile and him wrapping an arm around her shoulders for Amy to put that unsettling altercation with Sheldon Cooper out of her mind.

For the time being, at least.

She allowed herself to relax against David's protective hold and, on sheer impulse, she titled her head down so that her ear could press against his shoulder. Even with the backdrop of ear-piercing screams, dramatic music and a lot of bloody images, Amy still felt very relaxed and calm. She'd never felt so comfortable with a member of the opposite sex before, and with David, it was like she could forget about all her troubles and simply enjoy being with him. He not only had a likable personality, a certain charm and amicability that was hard not to be attracted to, but he had a very calming effect on her that she knew she would only benefit from, especially right now.

Her brows wrinkled tightly as the memory of the conversation she'd had with Sheldon unwillingly returned to her mind. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such an intense debate with anyone, let alone a complete stranger. Just thinking about it caused a hot blaze of frustration to zip all throughout her veins, leaving her feeling antsy, and frustrated, and a little—

Suddenly, she shuddered, as she felt a warm pressure fleetingly graze the top of her head. As quickly as it happened, a second later, it was gone. Amy blinked and stretched her eyes widely. She lifted her head from David's shoulder to look him straight in the eyes. The reality of what had just happened suddenly sank right through her, like an anvil plummeting to the ground, causing her heart to slam against her chest.

He'd just kissed the top of her head.

She silently thanked a deity she didn't believe in that they were in the safe darkness of a movie theater, for if the sudden burning feeling in her cheeks was any indication at all, her entire face must've been quite the bright shade of crimson right now.

In spite of her embarrassment, and the fact that she'd been totally caught off guard, she felt her mouth crick upward in a small, yet genuine grin. David's dark eyes gleamed behind the lenses of his glasses as he grinned back at her. It was a soft, handsome smile that made Amy's heart melt.

Her lips parted on their own accord, and then, before she could even process it, it happened. David leaned in towards her, closing the small distance between them by gently pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes automatically fluttered closed, but she kept her lips perfectly still, relishing the warmth and softness of his lips and the lovely pitter-patter of her heart beating against her chest.

She recalled the last time she'd been kissed, back in college, how horrific that had been. This kiss was the complete opposite of that. It was gentle, reflecting David's warm personality. She found the simplicity of the kiss all the more alluring, especially that there were no tongues involved, just lips pressing together softly. As far as she was concerned, this kiss was just about perfect.

By the time he pulled away from her, Amy was left with a dizzying grin on her face that lasted all the way through the remainder of the movie. She had given up on trying to follow the rest of the movie at this point, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the carefree feeling of giddiness that she'd originally been feeling while she was getting ready for their date had finally returned, and she didn't plan on it letting go away anytime soon. She'd hold onto it for as long as she could, and there wasn't anyone who could take it away from her, not herself, and especially not that unbelievably rude and pompous Sheldon Cooper.

When the credits began to roll, and the lights along the theater walls finally came up, Amy snapped back to reality and subsequently felt her grin shatter into pieces. Against her will, her gaze zeroed in on the vacant seat where Sheldon had been sitting. She hadn't noticed that he never returned to the theater after she did, and again, she couldn't help wondering where he could've gone. She watched as his friends stood up and started to leave. His friend with the glasses looked a bit paler than he had before the movie started, she noticed.

She hadn't realized that she was just sitting there, gawking, until David got up and cleared his throat to get her attention. She snapped her head up to look at him, her eyes widening. David held up his hands, as though to surrender.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."

Amy shook herself and finally rose to her feet. "No, I'm sorry. I must've zoned out there for a second."

David joined her as she began to walk toward the aisle and head out of the theater. As they exited, she felt something warm brush against her palm, and she looked down to see that David was reaching for her hand. He was surprising her with these little acts of affection all over the place tonight.

While she was taken aback, she didn't flinch from his hand as his fingers slowly intertwined with hers. She smiled and gave his hand a small squeeze, finding that the gesture was just what she needed to take her mind off of that Sheldon Cooper once and for all. Aside from him, this had been an amazing date, and she was not going to let some stranger ruin the rest of her night.

They walked hand in hand in the lobby, moving with the flow of the crowd of people who were also exiting the theater. Even with all the people in the lobby chatting about, Amy was able to pick up on one distinct conversation, just as she and David were heading toward the door. And, although she knew she shouldn't have paid any mind to it, she couldn't stop herself from stealthily looking over her shoulder to observe.

"There you are, Sheldon," his friend with the glasses said. "What the hell happened to you? You said you were only going to be gone five minutes, and you wound up missing the rest of the movie."

"I'm well aware of that, Leonard. As I've mentioned to you on several occasions, there is no need to state the obvious," Sheldon began, pompous as ever. Amy noticed that he was still holding that bag of Twizzlers as well.

"Fine, whatever," Leonard said impatiently. "What I mean is, why are you still here? If anything, you could've taken the bus home instead of waiting around for over an hour. "

"How do you expect me to ride the bus without my bus pants?" Sheldon asked, then started to shake his head. "I swear, your lack of mere common sense never ceases to befuddle me."

"Well," his other friend, who was the shortest of all of them, spoke up, "if you didn't want to take the bus, why didn't you just come back inside to watch the rest of the movie?"

Sheldon hesitated a moment before shifting his gaze and answering, "I didn't particularly care for it, so I didn't find it necessary to watch the rest of it."

"Ha, you _were_ freaked out. I knew it," his short friend said. "Which is sad because even this guy was able to sit through it without wetting himself." He pointed to the dark skinned man standing next to him.

"Hey, I'm no scaredy cat," the man said in a thick Indian accent.

"I didn't leave because I was _freaked out,"_ Sheldon interjected, while his friend, Leonard, just rolled his eyes.

"Sure, Sheldon. Let's just get going," he said.

"Fine by me," Sheldon said in a fully resolute tone. "This was undoubtedly the worst movie-going experience I've ever had."

As soon as he said that, he looked up and stared out at the sea of people leaving the theater. What was strange about it, though, was that, just as Amy and David were about to walk out the door, she could've sworn his blazing gaze fleetingly locked directly onto her. It happened so fast that she wasn't entirely sure, but that still didn't stop her from promptly snapping her head forward anyway. They walked outside, welcomed by the warm nighttime air, and as they walked down the sidewalk, heading towards the parking lot, Amy finally convinced herself that she was just being silly.

However, whether she really was simply over thinking things or not, that still didn't account for the very real shiver she felt race down the length of her spine.

* * *

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" David asked as they walked down the hallway that led to Amy's apartment. He'd stopped holding her hand, but he walked at a very close distance to her, which Amy somehow found comforting.

"I suppose so," she answered in a purposely non-committal tone. She knew that it wouldn't be the answer he wanted to hear, but she couldn't find it in her to be dishonest with him. They'd been so candid with each other all this time that it just didn't feel right to start lying now, or ever, really.

David let out a soft sigh, clearly showing his disappointment, just as Amy had suspected he would. "Was it something I did?" he asked, and for the first time since she met him, Amy could detect a hint of insecurity in his tone. "Was it because I…"

He trailed off just as they reached the door to Amy's apartment. He looked uneasy as he rubbed the back of his neck, and with all the silence, Amy realized what he was going to ask, and she couldn't help but smile gently at this newly vulnerable side to him.

"No," she said, hoping to ease his anxiety. "No, I…I very much enjoyed…that."

_Tha__t,_ of course, was their first kiss. It was still fresh in her memory, and watching David now, as he dropped his hand and smiled again, a touch of a devious smirk, his dimples coming to life, Amy could tell that he was relieved. His masculinity had healed again, and any last traces of insecurity were gone as he reached up and clamped a warm palm against Amy's cheek.

Amy gasped again for roughly the third time that evening. She blinked as her heartbeat began to accelerate. She exhaled softly and allowed her eyes to shut on their own accord, just as she felt a warm pair of lips meet her own for the second time in the past hour.

Now that they were standing rather than sitting, and there was no loud movie consuming her hearing, Amy was able to enjoy the feeling of his lips against hers even more this second time around. He definitely seemed to have more expertise in this area than she did. She felt his free hand claim the small of her waist, whereas she wasn't exactly sure what to do with her hands.

Tentatively, she brought them up and, with her fingers shaking a little bit, dancing about and trying to figure out where to go, she finally went with her instincts and clamped her hands down against his shoulders. He drew back from her a mere second or so later, and the sound of his lips tearing apart from hers seemed to echo throughout the hallway.

As Amy's eyes fluttered back open, she felt completely lightheaded, and she could feel her face getting warm yet again. This man certainly knew how to turn her into a puddle of feminine hormones.

"I'm glad," David said as he gently ran his hand down her cheek before releasing her.

Amy felt so weak in the knees and still a little dizzy that all she could do was nod like some kind of speechless, lovesick fool.

"Well," David said, taking a step back, as though to give Amy more room to breathe, which she knew she needed at that point. "I guess it's about time I wish you a goodnight, Amy. I'll be looking forward to having lunch with you at work tomorrow."

He started to walk away then, and Amy just stood there, struck with an undeniable feeling of disappointment. There he was, leaving, and all she could think was where they'd be going from here. She had thought that they would be taking the next step in their relationship by becoming an official couple, but instead, all that happened was a bit of physical affection but no direct, _"Will you be my girlfriend?"_

And if he wasn't going to ask, Amy decided, right then and there, that she would.

"David," her voice called out, just as he was about to round the corner and disappear. He halted in his tracks and turned around to face her again, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly. Amy took a breath, realizing that her heart was still pounding profusely. When he stopped in front of her, the words just poured out. "I know I informed you on our first date that I was hesitant to jump into a physical relationship too quickly, even if we were, hypothetically, in a monogamous relationship. And, while I appreciate that you've respected my boundaries by taking things slowly with me, I feel that, as we've been dating for three weeks now, I've reached a point where I need to stop for a moment and outwardly ask you if we will continue this relationship by exclusively becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. If not, I suppose I'll politely bid you adieu and be on my way."

David blinked, shaking his head a little. "Uh, wow." He brought up his hand and dragged it across his mouth before removing it to speak again. "I have to say, while I do like how direct you are, it's still taking me a little getting used to."

Amy wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but she decided not to comment on it. She just needed an answer, a simple yes or no. Though she really hoped the answer would be yes.

"I'm glad you're happy with the pace we've been going," he said, "and, to be honest, I've already kind of considered us as…exclusive." Amy raised her eyebrows at that, and David smiled at her reaction. "But, you're right. We should make it official."

He reached out and took her hand then, or just four of her fingers, rather. He held them up to his face, as though getting ready to kiss her hand. Amy's heart was beating so fast that she was sure it was going to explode from her chest, which would undoubtedly kill the mood.

"Amy, would you like to be exclusive?"

While he was apparently a fan of her direct way of speaking, she was just as much a fan of how formal he could be when he spoke, while at the same time having a hint of teasing playfulness. It was just the kind of personality she needed to further bring her out of her shell.

"Yes, David, I'd like to be exclusive," she answered directly, letting a grin spread over her face.

"Well, Amy, you've just made me the happiest guy in the world," he said, and finally, he brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

After he wished her another goodnight, and this time, really left, Amy took a step backward and slumped against her door. "I have a boyfriend," she whispered to herself, needing to say it aloud, for it seemed too good to be true, and she couldn't believe how happy she felt.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, believe it Amy, haha. So, they're officially a couple now. I'm sure you saw that coming.

And now, just as David and Amy's relationship will continue to develop, so will Sheldon and Amy's. I've got some fun Shamy stuff planned for later on in the story, so stay tuned.


	5. Girl Talk with the Bartender

Not longer after David and Amy officially became a couple, both of their careers had coincidentally taken off. Within a week of dating, they each seemed to be busier than ever, and now, with the middle of the semester quickly approaching, David had to focus on meeting with his students to discuss their upcoming papers as well as prepare them for midterms.

Amy knew that he was stressed out, even without him having to outwardly tell her. The pressure was on for him to do an excellent job this semester so that his students would give him good evaluations so that he could finally be award tenure that he so rightfully deserved. He'd been working at the university for nearly a year, and, although Amy was admittedly little biased, she was confident that David would make tenure, for he was a hardworking professor who truly cared about his students.

As for Amy herself, she was elbow deep in brain dissections, and when she wasn't doing that, she was working on finishing up a paper based on her latest research and findings. She had high hopes for herself that this one would be published in the next issue of a well-known and prestigious science magazine, but she didn't want to be too cocky about it just yet until it was official.

Even with their hectic work schedules taking up the majority of their day, David and Amy still made time for one another during their daily lunch meet-ups. Carrying her tray of food, Amy smiled brightly as she walked up to David, who was already seated at the table and about to start eating. He looked up from his food just as she took a seat across from him. He offered her a sweet smile.

"Hello, my darling Amy," he said, and immediately a goofy smile spread across Amy's face at the pet name. Even though they were a couple now, she still wasn't used to the various terms of endearment he'd started addressing her with.

"Hello, David," she said after taking a moment to compose herself. She resumed unfolding her paper napkin and draped it over her lap. She picked up her fork and began to dig into her macaroni salad. "How's your day going so far?"

"Oh, nothing out of the ordinary," he said with a passive wave of his hand. "A few of my students have already approached me asking for extended deadlines on their papers, even though they're well aware that the syllabus clearly states the due date, and that I will not accept late papers regardless of any clever excuse they can come up with."

"How unflinchingly rigid of you," Amy noted.

"It's what any good professor would and should do."

"Especially when tenure is at stake," Amy added.

David paused mid-chew. "Well, that too," he said after he resumed chewing and swallowed his food. He smiled a little sheepishly then, again showing that small vulnerable side to him that Amy was beginning to admire more and more. "Speaking of, that's kind of what I needed to talk about with you. Obviously, you know I've got a lot riding on this semester. I can't afford to screw up my chances of getting tenure. So, for these next few weeks especially, I'm afraid I'm going to have to shift my focus away from our relationship a bit to focus on helping out my students in every way I can."

Amy kept the smile plastered on her face, but on the inside, she felt an unmistakable twitch of disappointment. Of course, this wasn't news to her. She knew his career was important not only for financial reasons, but even social and personal reasons. With tenure came the relief of job security. Amy knew she couldn't be selfish about this. She would support David, just as he would support her own career, and she'd just have to suck it up for the next few weeks and simply enjoy whatever time they could share together. After all, this was her first real, serious, _adult_ relationship, and she wasn't going to risk screwing it up so quickly by demanding too much from him.

"I understand," she said at last, for that much was true, at least. Still, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Does that mean we won't be going out to dinner tonight?"

"Of course not," David said right away, making Amy feel better, though probably not as much as it should have. "I'll meet you at the restaurant tonight at six."

"Tonight at six," Amy repeated, as if that would somehow solidify the plans. "Which restaurant, again? I believe you might've mentioned it to me a few days ago, but what with all the work I've been doing, it must've slipped my mind."

"Well, actually, I was thinking we could go somewhere a little more relaxed and casual," David said, "so how about the Cheesecake Factory?"

"The Cheesecake Factory…I've never eaten there before," Amy said as she picked up her water bottle and took a sip.

"I've eaten there once or twice," David said. "It's a fun place. Nice atmosphere. Good food. I think you'll enjoy it."

"I'll take your word for it," Amy said, and as they continued eating their lunch, she found herself already wishing it was the end of the work day. It couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

The restaurant was much more crowded than Amy thought it would be. After she requested a table for two, the hostess informed her that it would be roughly a twenty minute wait. Amy was a bit surprised to hear that, but at the same time, she decided it wasn't a bad thing, as David was running late just as she'd unfortunately expected, so she had some time to kill before he would arrive.

Amy wandered over to the bar and took a seat on one of the two stools, since there was really no other place to sit and wait. She propped her purse in her lap, just as the bartender, a young blond woman who looked to be about twenty-five years old, turned around to face her. She offered Amy an extravagantly wide smile, one that was clearly forced, a sort of hospitable countenance that servers purposely used to appear friendlier so that they could garner extra tip money.

"Hi, there," she greeted in a much too cheerful tone. "What can I get for you?"

"Oh, nothing," Amy said right away, not wanting to get suckered into purchasing on overpriced drink, which would likely only spoil her appetite due to the high caloric intake. "I'm just waiting for a table."

"You sure?" the young woman persisted. "We've got every drink you can imagine, wine, beer, liquor. I could whip you up a fun cocktail if you'd like. Maybe a nice Sex on the Beach. That one's a personal favorite of mine."

"While a Sex on the Beach does sound both titillating and appetizing," Amy admitted, "I'm afraid I'm still going to have to decline, as I have to drive home later."

"Fair enough," the blond said, finally accepting Amy's refusal. "If you change your mind, I'll be right here."

She then turned around and started straightening out the various glass bottles of alcohol on the shelves. Amy stared out at the diverse collection. There were types of alcohol she'd never even heard of before, but then again, she wasn't exactly an expert in this particular area. The last time she drank, in fact, was on her first date with David, and that was well over a month ago.

She read the labels on some of the bottles. There were different brands of hard liquors that consisted of vodka, rum, tequila and whiskey. Amy's traveling eyes landed on a bottle filled with an orange, golden liquid that had the word, _Fireball,_ written on the label in bold, red letters. Beneath it were the words, _Cinnamon Whiskey._ Amy's eyebrows furrowed. Apparently there were very creative flavors of liquor nowadays.

"Fireball whiskey?" she asked, causing the bartender to stop what she was doing and turn her head to look at the bottle on the far right corner of the middle shelf.

"Oh, yeah," she said as she picked up the bottle and turned around to face Amy again. "This stuff's great. It tastes like Big Red cinnamon flavored gum, only in liquid form. I'm telling you, it's so sweet, you can literally drink it straight from the bottle."

"That sounds…audacious," Amy said, eyeing the bottle as the bartender began to twist open the cap and grab a shot glass.

"I can tell you're curious," she said, raising an eyebrow. She started pouring some of the liquid into the small glass. "Care for a taste?"

"No, I…I really shouldn't," Amy said, now staring intently at the shot glass she'd just filled to the brim. She watched as the bartender took another glass and started to fill that one up as well.

"Tell ya what, I'll do a shot with you," she offered as she filled up the second shot glass and set the bottle down. She slid one over to Amy and picked up the second one for herself.

Amy blinked and stared down at the glass. She'd never tried whiskey before, nor had she ever had the yearning to do so, but here was this young woman, who was clearly an expert on alcohol, smiling brightly and already holding up her own glass. Slowly, Amy reached for the other glass and picked it up. She supposed one shot wouldn't do any harm. After an hour, with a full meal in her stomach, it would be gone from her system, and she'd be perfectly safe to drive home.

"Cheers," the bartender said, bringing her glass up to Amy's.

Amy met her halfway, lightly tapping her glass against hers, and then, before she could berate herself for what she was doing, she brought the glass to her mouth, shut her eyes and knocked the drink back. She swallowed the hot liquid, her taste buds tingling from the spicy cinnamon taste. A sizzling grin spread across her lips as she set the glass down, just as the bartender did as well.

"Oh, my," Amy said. She could feel the warmth of the liquid lingering in the back of her throat. "I think I'll definitely have to agree with you. That was quite delicious. It didn't even taste like alcohol."

"I told you," the bartender said, filling up Amy's glass again. "See, that's what's bad about these kinds of drinks. You have a few and don't even taste the liquor, because they're so sweet, but then when you go to stand up, your head's spinning and you're practically falling on your ass as you stumble your way to the bathroom."

Amy snickered at the woman's crass way of speaking. "You're quite amusing," she said. "Forgive me if this sounds judgmental, but I'm guessing you're the kind of person who likes to go out and drink often."

"Well, no, I wouldn't say _often,"_ she said. "You know, once in a while on the weekends, and maybe occasionally on a weekday, but only when there's nothing better to do." She slid the re-filled shot glass back over to Amy.

"I still haven't paid for the first one," Amy said, while the bartender raised her own glass to her lips and downed her second shot.

She set the glass down on the counter with a soft clang and shook her head. "Eh, what the hell, I'm feeling generous tonight. I'll give you a two for one deal."

"Are you permitted to do that?" Amy asked.

The bartender shrugged and finally started to re-cap the bottle. "Sure, just as long as my manager doesn't find out. I won't tell if you won't." She returned the bottle to its original place on the shelf, and when she turned back, she tapped her hand against the counter. "Go on, drink up. Life is short."

Amy stared at the bartender, this overly cheerful blond twenty-something. She radiated with the kind of youthful happiness that only a person who had their whole life ahead of them had. Amy couldn't even remember the last time she'd been around someone so carefree, let alone actually _done_ something so carefree herself, whereas this perky bartender seemed to be the epitome of it.

She took a quick glance at her watch. She still had about fifteen minutes or so before a table would be available, and hopefully, if the timing worked itself out, David would be arriving right around that same time.

Her gaze fell back onto the shot glass, waiting for someone to drink its contents. With a soft sigh, Amy picked it up, staring down at the liquid, and again, before she could lose her nerve, she breathed out and drained the glass, quickly swallowing all of it.

"Whoo, there you go!" the bartender cheered, taking the glass from Amy.

"I think that one went straight to my head," Amy admitted, feeling her face radiating with warmth and a warm fuzziness spreading through her body.

"Wait 'til you stand up," the bartender said teasingly. "You'll really feel it then." She paused, as if pondering something, and then, she added casually, "I'm Penny, by the way."

"I'm Amy," she replied. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, wow, so formal," Penny said. "Okay, well, yeah, same here." She started straightening out some thin red straws that sat in a spherical glass container on the counter. "So, who are you waiting for, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Well, you've just asked, so tacking on the 'if don't mind my asking' seems unnecessary," Amy said, noticing how Penny furrowed her eyebrows, but she didn't take offense to it. "I'm waiting for my boyfriend."

Saying that out loud caused an inexplicable thrill to rush through Amy's body. It was probably enhanced from the alcohol that was now seeping into her bloodstream, but the grin that formed across her face was definitely all from him.

"Oh, look at that smile," Penny said. "How long have you guys been going out?"

"Approximately eleven days," Amy said proudly, and this time, she was genuinely confused when Penny frowned at her.

"Wow," she deadpanned. "That's a pretty big milestone there. You know, I remember back in elementary school when my best friend started going out with this guy in our class, and after a whole week went by and they were still together, a few of my other friends and I started planning their wedding for recess, but by the time lunch time rolled around, she'd already dumped him for a sixth grader."

"How tragic," Amy commented. "However, my relationship with my boyfriend isn't some trivial elementary school relationship as you're implying. In fact, it's my first serious relationship."

_"Ever?"_ Penny asked, and her shocked tone made Amy start feel like she was missing something, that maybe she really was more of an outcast when it came to dating than she already thought she was.

Truthfully, Amy didn't even know why she was sharing all of this information with this woman in the first place. Amy was well aware that she was more talkative when she drank, and in hindsight, she probably should've gone with her instincts and politely said no to having that first shot of whiskey, let alone the second.

On the other hand, this Penny girl was being awfully friendly towards her, perhaps only looking to make some extra tip money as Amy had originally thought, but either way, talking to her was making the tedious act of waiting for a table go by much faster.

"Yes," Amy said at last, deciding not to be ashamed of it. She was always consider different all her life. It was both a curse and a blessing in disguise.

"Wow," Penny said. "That's crazy. I mean, not in a bad way, just… I've never actually met anyone who started dating at a much…older age. Can I ask why? I mean, were you just holding out until the right guy came along or something?"

"I suppose that's partly the reason," Amy said. "However, if I'm being honest, the real reason is because no one has ever really taken a romantic interest in me before. I did date someone briefly in college, but it turned out that he was only using me to get a passing grade for the semester. Additionally, the one time he and I had started to engage in a physical relationship by kissing for a prolonged period, he wound up being much too…_handsy,_ if you catch my drift."

"Oh, believe me, I do," Penny said, yet somehow, Amy had a hard time believing that this beautiful blond had suffered the same pains as she did when it came to dating. She reminded Amy of a few exceptionally popular, pretty girls she went to high school with, the cheerleaders, the ones whom the boys were always fawning after, the ones who could just show a little cleavage and get anything they wanted.

Amy had no doubt that this happy-go-lucky Cheesecake Factory employee was just like that in high school. She was the kind of person who got everything handed to her because of her looks, the exact opposite of Amy, who was nothing more than the socially awkward intellectual who had to work hard to get any semblance of recognition.

As Amy thought about all of this, she felt a prickling heat rise within her, and she realized that it was acutely close to anger, but not quite. Upon a quick revaluation, she realized it was more like jealousy.

"You know, with all due respect, I doubt you have even the slightest clue what it feels like to be rejected and ignored all your life," Amy said before she could stop herself. "And then, when the boys _do_ just so happen to start to take an interest in you, it's only because they want something from you. I'm sure you've never been dumped, or cheated on, or used, the way I did."

"Ouch," Penny said, sounding as though she realized she'd just struck a nerve. "Well, I'll give you not knowing what it feels like to be ignored by guys, but I have been dumped, and I've been cheated on before, a couple times, actually, and let me tell you, each time hurt like a bitch, even more than the last."

"I'm not quite sure how one would use a word for a female dog as a way to measure pain, but I'll assume that that's a bad thing," Amy said.

Penny exhaled softly. "Hey, you're pretty funny, too. You know, actually, that kind of reminds me of something this…" She paused and wrinkled her eyebrows, her eyes darting up to the ceiling as she pondered something for a moment. "Oh, God, is he really my friend?" she muttered to herself. "Yeah, sadly, I think he is. Wow." She shook her head and looked at Amy again. "Anyway, you remind me of my friend."

"Is this male friend of yours one of those so-called friends with benefits? I'm familiar with that term but have never met anyone who practices it."

"Oh, God, no," Penny said, holding up her hands and waving them frantically back and forth. She looked like she was about to start laughing hysterically. "No, no, no, no, no."

"My apologies," Amy said. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No, it's not that," Penny said. "It's just, he's not like that…_at _all. The idea of him being… Oh, God, no, that's too weird even to think about. I'd like to think of my friendship with him as more of a…brother-sister relationship. Maybe. I don't know if he'd feel the same. I think he considers me more as a cherished acquaintance who he's been forced to become friends with since I'm going out with his roommate."

"How interesting," Amy mused. "And you mean to tell me that he has no romantic interest in you whatsoever?"

"More like he has no romantic interest in anyone. At all. Ever," Penny said.

"I see. And I can only assume that you and this roommate of his whom you've just mentioned have been dating longer than eleven days?" Amy asked, willingly poking fun at herself a little bit.

"Yeah. Way longer," Penny said. "A couple years." She paused again and mumbled to herself, "Damn, has it really been that long?"

"Let me guess. He's a tall, handsome, muscularly-built man who I'm assuming is very wealthy. Perhaps he manages his own business?"

"Actually, no, pretty much the exact opposite."

"Really?" Amy said, genuinely astounded by this knowledge, but then again, everything seemed much more fascinating when one was a little drunk, and Amy was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol now. She rocked slightly in her seat and planted both of her palms against the counter to steady herself. "So, with that information, that means you're dating someone who's short, not as physically appealing, and doesn't make a lot of money. I'm perplexed, then, as to what else you can find attractive about him that would making you willing to stay with him for as long as you have. Does he perchance excel at pleasing you sexually?"

"Uhhhh, what?"

Penny snapped her head in the direction of the male voice, as did Amy. To her surprise, she saw the man with the glasses whom she'd seen at the movie theater over a week ago. She didn't lock eyes with him, though, but rather that presumptuous human being whom she'd managed to slowly forget about up until this very moment, Sheldon Cooper.


	6. Electric Blue Eyes

"Heyyy, Leonard," Penny said with a nervous giggle behind her voice. She walked up to him from behind the bar and draped an arm around his neck. She then leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

Amy, meanwhile, sat there, silently observing the situation. Apparently, this was the boyfriend whom she was referring to, which could only mean that Sheldon was the platonic friend. The well-known phrase, "It's a small world after all," had never rung more true to Amy as it had right now.

"Hi," Leonard said in a wary tone. "What was that I just heard about…pleasing you sexually?"

Penny's cheeks tinted a light shade of pink. She released Leonard and covered her face with her hands. "Oh, God," she mumbled into her hands. She lifted her head to look at him again. "Nothing, I, uh…I was just having a little girl talk with…" She held up her hand to gesture towards Amy, only to bite her lip as she glanced over at her and let her hand drop. "Crap, I'm sorry. What did you say your name was again?"

"Amy Farrah Fowler," she said, her gaze traveling back to the two men standing to her left. This time, though, she purposely kept her gaze on Leonard as she smiled tightly and added, "Pleased to meet you."

"Wait a minute," Leonard said. "You look kind of familiar… Have we met before?"

"You guys know each other?" Penny asked in confusion, looking between the two of them.

That was when Sheldon finally spoke up, although he directed his speech to Leonard by leaning in towards him and speaking at a deliberately soft volume, "She's the woman who wouldn't relinquish her seat when we went to the movie theater last weekend."

"Wait. You guys went to the movies last weekend?" Penny asked, her confusion evidently rising. "That doesn't make any sense, though. Leonard and I went last weekend to see that scary movie, which turned out to not even be scary at all."

"The night before the two of you went to view it, Leonard forced Koothrappali, Wolowitz and me to accompany him to see the very same movie so that, as per his words, he could know what to expect and not do anything that would be deemed unmanly in front of you, such as scream effeminately or faint."

_"Sheldon,"_ Leonard growled through his teeth.

"Wow," Penny said. "You know, I thought it was weird that you didn't need to break out your inhaler at all when while we were watching the movie." She smiled as she reached out and wrapped both of her arms around her boyfriend's neck. "That's so cute of you, sweetie. You didn't have to do that for me."

"Well, to be honest, I did it a little bit for me, too," Leonard said, now a mere several inches away from her face. He grinned just as she closed the gap between them with a much deeper, heartier kiss.

Amy felt heat rush to her face as she looked away from the couple. Public displays of affection always made her feel uncomfortable. It was one thing with her and David when they'd kissed in the theater, as it had been dark in there, and their lip-lock didn't last nearly as long as this kiss seemed to be going. Maybe that made Amy a bit of a hypocrite, but all she knew was that it was very awkward to watch. Amy, herself, was still getting used to engaging in physical affection with David on a daily basis, but in private. The idea of doing anything other than hold his hand in public seemed so foreign and wrong, in a way.

Then again, maybe Amy was reading too much into it. After all, couples engaged in public displays of affection all the time. As for the extent to which it went, that was another thing. Perhaps prolonged kissing wouldn't be totally inappropriate, depending on the setting.

Not knowing what else to do to occupy herself, Amy opened her purse and began fishing around inside it for her wallet. She still owed money for the two shots of whiskey she had, and she figured she might as well pay now before she forgot, especially since she was sure the hostess would be calling her name with her table any moment now. She withdrew her wallet and opened it, taking out a ten dollar bill, which she unfolded neatly and laid out on the counter so that Penny would see it.

As she placed her wallet bag into her pocket book, she heard someone loudly clear their throat, and she didn't have to look up to know who it was that had just done it, but she did anyway, letting her eyes lock onto his.

"Yes?" she started, but then, it just dawned on her, and she held up her hands for some sort of dramatic effect. "Oh, wait, let me guess. I'm sitting in your seat, right? Well, by all means, allow me to get up so that you may sit here, you all-important genius."

Sheldon furrowed his eyebrows so deeply that Amy briefly wondered if what she'd just said had even made any sense. She wholeheartedly blamed the alcohol in her system, which had now caused a dull pounding inside her head. She made a mental note to never allow a bartender to peer pressure her into drinking ever again, even if said bartender were a perfectly pleasant and charismatic person as Penny was.

Her train of thought was broken when Sheldon spoke again.

"I haven't the slightest idea why you felt the need to pay me a compliment just now, but thank you. That's quite flattering," he said, and it was then that Amy remembered that he was incapable of picking up on sarcasm. "Anyway, I was merely going to point out that that's not the proper way to tip a bartender. However, seeing as how your eyes are a bit bloodshot, and your cheeks are flushed, I can see that you're inebriated at this moment, and therefore my advice would be falling upon deaf ears."

Ignoring everything he'd just said, Amy simply stared at him, trying her best to keep her head perfectly steady. She blinked a few times, unable to think of a snappy comment to throw back at him. It might very well have been the alcohol causing her vision to be slightly off, or maybe it was the information Penny had just revealed to her about him that he allegedly had never been interested in anyone romantically. Whatever the reason, there was something about him that seemed a bit different to her compared to the first time she'd met him.

As she sat there, looking him over, she noticed that he was wearing another superhero themed t-shirt. This one was a light blue shirt with the trademark _S_ symbol in the center that stood for Superman. That was when it hit her.

"You're wearing blue," she said, pleased with herself for figuring it out, and when she looked up from his shirt in time to see his eyebrows coming together yet again, she felt even prouder of herself, and she took a moment to bask in the effervescent glow of self-satisfaction.

"Yes," he said, very slowly, which only added more fuel to her smug fire. He was clearly beyond confused as to why she'd so abruptly changed the subject, and whether or not it would only confuse him even more, she decided that she needed to elaborate.

"Several psychological studies have suggested that women are most attracted to men who wear blue, as it's a color associated with trust and relaxation, as well as masculinity," Amy explained.

Sheldon blinked and stared at her with a blank look in his eyes, one that never wavered, not even from what spilled out of her bold, drunken mouth next.

"Not to mention," Amy went on, "that color matches your eyes." She smirked as she leaned forward in her seat slightly, making sure not to lean over too far and lose her balance altogether. She studied his eyes intently, a crisp, clear blue, the exact opposite of David's dark brown eyes, which were warm and inviting, a pair of eyes that one could get lost in, a kind that shined with intelligence.

Then, there was this man, with his sharp blue eyes that were enhanced by that sky blue Superman t-shirt of his. She'd never seen a grown man wear a shirt like that before, but somehow, that only made him seem all the more interesting.

After a tense moment of silence, Sheldon finally spoke. "I truthfully have no idea what you're driving at," he said, "but if you're just going to spit out useless facts for no reason at all, then I could easily do the same. While this information is of no vital importance to me whatsoever, I know for a fact that men find the color red most attractive on women, as it's a color associated with lust and passion. My friend, Penny, here happens to be an excellent example to prove that research, as she used to bring home strange men and engage in coitus with them long before she began dating my friend, Leonard. Of the eleven out of the seventeen trysts I'd witnessed, she had been wearing some shade of red at the time, whether it be a red dress or a red blouse."

"What the hell, Sheldon?" Penny interjected.

"How on earth do you know all of that?" Amy asked, ignoring the outburst, as she was admittedly intrigued by this, so intrigued, in fact, that she hadn't even realized that she was now literally sitting on the edge of her seat.

"I have an eidetic memory," Sheldon said, and he proceeded to bring up one hand and lightly tap the side of his head once.

"That's quite fascinating," Amy said, this time genuinely meaning it. She swiftly brought up her hand and pressed it against her cheek as she leaned her elbow heavily on the surface of the bar. She decided to let her bold mouth speak some more without even bothering to think about what she was saying. "You know, if there were a safe way to cut open your brain without having to physically extract it from your skull, I would love to have the opportunity to dissect and study it so that I could better understand how that advanced mind of yours works."

She didn't notice that both Leonard and Penny were now gawking at her in awe, both of their jaws hanging wide open, and, just as Amy was about to nearly fall off of her seat, she heard the hostess call out her name. She sprang up and got to her feet, feeling her head spin as she did so, but she managed to straighten herself up as she grabbed a hold of her purse and draped the thick black leather strap over her shoulder.

"Well," she said, turning to face Penny. "Thank you for being such a friendly and hospitable employee. I have to say that I very much enjoyed our conversation."

"Oh, thanks. Me too," Penny said. "Hopefully I'll see you around sometime."

"I would very much like that. As a matter of fact," Amy said, pausing as she opened her purse again, this time to retrieve a pen. She grinned as she found the writing device, which she pulled from her bag and clicked open with her thumb. "Hold out your hand."

Penny shared a glance with her boyfriend, who looked a bit concerned for her, but she still held up her hand for Amy. She gently took it and started to scrawl her phone number over Penny's palm. When she was finished, she clicked the pen closed.

"There," she said with a grin. "Feel free to call or text me anytime."

Penny stared down at the digits written across her open palm, as though they were written in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. "Uhhh…yeah. Okay. Wow. A girl just gave me her number. I guess there really is a first time for everything."

"Oh," Amy said, suddenly realizing how this action could easily be misinterpreted. "Not to worry, I assure you that I'm not a homosexual looking to, as I used to overhear my classmates in college refer to it, 'hook up' with you. I have a boyfriend, as I've already informed you."

"No, I know, I was just…" Penny trailed off, shaking her head. "You know what, never mind. I'll give you a call sometime. We could have a girls' night. It'll be fun."

"That sounds wonderful," Amy said, excited at the mere thought of it. She turned to face Sheldon and Leonard, the latter of which flinched slightly at the abrupt look in his direction, whereas Sheldon remained completely motionless. "Perhaps I'll run into the two of you again sometime in the near future. Until then, I hope that you'll enjoy the rest of your evening."

She took a tentative step forward, but the moment she did, her knees gave out from beneath her, and she stumbled to the ground.

"Whoa," Leonard said, quickly reaching out to help her up.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and helped hike her back up to her feet. Amy slung her arm around his shoulder and held on tightly. Her left hand flew out on its own accord and landed on top of the rough material of the Superman logo in the middle of Sheldon's chest. Her fingers fleetingly skimmed toward the soft fabric around the logo, and, as quickly as she'd touched him, her hand shot back to grasp onto Leonard's shoulder for leverage.

"You okay?" Leonard asked.

Amy nodded emphatically as she slowly broke away from him and took a step backwards. She finally managed to find her footing, and she threw her shoulders back, grasping tightly at the strap of her purse that had managed to stay perched against her shoulder.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to grope you like that," she said to Leonard. "I suppose I'm more of a lightweight than I thought I was. Usually I'm able to keep my wits about me when I drink alcohol." She looked at Penny. "You were right about that fireball whiskey. It's delicious, but highly dangerous."

"Just be sure to drink lots of water with your dinner," Penny said.

Amy nodded, and finally, she started walking away to meet the hostess so she could be escorted to her table. As she brushed past Sheldon, who still suspiciously hadn't budged, she couldn't help looking him in the eyes and smirking as she said, "I'm sure you'll have quite the time looking back on this moment and picking it apart with that eidetic memory of yours."

She waited for him to respond, but she soon lost interest when she spotted David walking through the door, and her face lit up upon seeing him.

"David!" she called out excitedly.

He snapped his head in her direction, and his face brightened as well as she staggered over to him. "Amy, I'm so sorry I kept you waiting—" He stopped abruptly when Amy literally fell against him. He wrapped his arms around her body to support her weight as he gave her a look of deep concern. "Amy, are you all right?"

"I'm great," she said, leaning into him as she untangled her arms from his grasp so that she could wrap them around his neck. "Apparently I'm a little drunk, but it's all good."

"What?" David said, but Amy didn't feel like hearing a lecture about her spontaneously reckless behavior. No, suddenly, there was something else on her mind, and if she didn't do it now, with her inhibitions so low that she could easily use the alcohol as the reason behind her actions, she never would.

"Shh," she said, unfastening one of her arms from the back of his neck to gently press a finger to his lips. She proceeded to slip her hand down to grasp his jaw. "Now, come here. I want to try something."

"What are you doing?" David asked a little nervously.

"An experiment," she answered, and the moment she shut her eyes and kissed him full on the lips, the first image that came to her mind was a certain pair of blue eyes, watching her, causing a jolt of electricity to shoot through her body.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This story will be going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. Here's a preview of the next chapter to hold you over until then:

_"Well, that was…interesting," Leonard said._

Amazing, right? Totes.

-Angelic Guardian


	7. Hot and Bothered

Sheldon found himself staring at Amy Farrah Fowler long after she left to have dinner with her apparent boyfriend, the same man she'd been sitting beside at the movie theater when he'd first encountered her precisely eleven days ago. She now sat in the far right corner of the restaurant with her elbows propped against the table. It was a blatant sign of poor table etiquette, but then again, any simpleton could tell you that. Clearly, one couldn't care less about table manners when one was under the influence of alcohol. Still, even with her disregard for manners, she did appear to be in a rather good mood. At least, that was what he gathered from that prominent smile of hers that never seemed to waver as she gazed at the man sitting across from her.

"Well, that was…interesting," Leonard said.

"Yeah," Penny agreed.

"You're not actually going to call her, are you?" Leonard asked.

"I don't know. I mean, don't get me wrong, she was a little on the quirky side, but…she did seem pretty nice. Up until you guys came along we were actually having a good conversation."

"About…what, exactly?"

"Oh, just about guys…and dating…and dating guys."

"So…" Leonard paused. "That must mean…you were talking about…old boyfriends?"

"And current boyfriends," Penny said.

"So…" Leonard paused again. "That thing she asked about if I'm good at pleasing you in bed… What was your answer going to be?"

"Oh, God," Penny groaned. "Are you really bringing that up again?"

"I'm sorry, but it's not the kind of question you expect to hear a total stranger ask your girlfriend when you decide to stop by to pay her a friendly visit."

"Look, just 'cause you overheard our conversation doesn't mean I have to explain anything to you. She was talking to me, so it doesn't concern you."

"But she was talking _about _me," Leonard said, raising his voice slightly.

"So what? Just let it go already. I still don't understand how, after all these years we've been dating, you still always have to make such a big deal about_ everything."_

"Why can't you just answer the question?"

"Why do you have to be so insecure?"

_"Why_ can't you just answer the _question?"_

"What the hell do you want me to do? Rate how good you are in bed on a scale of one to ten?"

"I just want to know that _I'm_ the only one who's pleasing you, and that you're not turning to other weird stuff like that…you know, _thing_ in the long box you keep inside your bottom drawer."

"Oh my _God," _Penny shrieked. "Don't say stuff like that in front of Sheldon! You want to scar the poor guy for life and have him go into cardiac arrest?"

"Oh, please, it's nothing worse than anything he read in that book we gave him."

"Look, whatever, all right? Bottom line is, I'm not getting into this with you right now."

"Fine, but this conversation isn't over."

"Oh, believe me, it's over."

"We'll see about that. Come on, Sheldon. Let's get out of here." He paused. "Sheldon?"

There was another pause, and then Penny spoke. "Sheldon?"

It took Sheldon longer than he would've ever cared to admit for him to realize that they had both just addressed him directly. When he finally did realize it, he tore his gaze from Amy to find the both of them staring at him. His eyes darted between the two of them, until his gaze settled on Leonard.

"Yes?" he said at last.

"Uhhh…are you ready to leave?" Leonard asked. "After all, it is Wednesday. Wednesday's comic book night."

"Of course it is," Sheldon said. "No need to point it out."

Leonard and Penny continued staring at him, and as a result, Sheldon felt his internal body temperature start to rise to an uncomfortable level.

"You all right, sweetie?" Penny asked. "You look a little…flustered."

Sheldon ignored the alarming heat that was sweeping through his body as he cleared his throat. "I'm fine," he said, although truthfully, he knew he was anything but fine. The internal distress he was currently experiencing would have to be properly analyzed and diagnosed as soon as he got home. "Let's go, Leonard. After the comic book store, we'll still have to stop at the grocery store to pick up a new bottle of mustard so that we'll have it for the next Chinese food night."

"Why do I feel like we have to buy a new bottle mustard literally every time we order Chinese?" Leonard commented. He turned back to Penny and gave her a quick goodbye kiss. "I'll save you some dinner for later."

"Thanks," Penny said softly. "Oh, and Leonard?" She gestured for him to come closer, which he did, allowing her to wrap an arm around his neck and bring her mouth close to his ear. She whispered something to him, and when she pulled back, Leonard grinned widely.

"Really?" he asked, completely giddy.

Penny winked at him, and for a moment, Leonard stood there, grinning to himself. Finally, though, he snapped out of it and shook his head, turning his attention back to Sheldon, who was now eyeing him carefully. The smile dropped from Leonard's face as he cleared his throat and finally started heading towards the exit.

Sheldon silently followed him, weaving past people who were still waiting for tables. As Leonard walked out the door, Sheldon unconsciously took one last look back at Amy. Her eyes seemed to flicker away from her boyfriend to look in Sheldon's direction, though only for a fleeting moment. Sheldon reflexively looked away as he walked out of the much too crowded restaurant.

He couldn't shake the deep perplexity out of his system, not even with the knowledge that he would be at the comic book store shortly. That Amy Farrah Fowler was certainly right when she'd said that his eidetic memory would have quite a lot to dissect about their bizarre encounter.

The first thing he recalled was the comment she'd made about his shirt and how it matched his eyes. He'd never considered that, as it seemed to be a rather arbitrary observation. Yet, as he looked down at the light blue hue background surrounding the broad Superman logo, he couldn't help but admit to himself that she was right; the color of his irises was pretty much the very same shade of blue.

Of course, that comment wasn't nearly as troubling as the moment when she'd boldly touched his chest. It had happened so suddenly that he had little time to react, let alone recoil the way he ordinarily would have. He had never been more thankful for his layered undershirt as he had in that moment, for it was that much more distance between his body and that woman's hand that had undoubtedly touched many other unknown surfaces since she'd last washed it.

"Sheldon," Leonard said.

At the sound of his name, he snapped his head up to see Leonard staring at him yet again. He realized then that he'd stopped walking and was simply standing in the middle of the parking lot, gawking at his own chest. The reality of the situation made him feel extremely…well, embarrassed.

"What?" he asked in an abrasive tone, feeling the same unsettling and unavoidable rush of heat move to his face once more. He jumped to the only logical conclusion: he was beginning to run a fever. He decided that he'd have to take his temperature and monitor his body signs over the next few hours.

"Are you sure you're all right, buddy?" Leonard asked. "You seem really out of it."

Sheldon stared at him a moment, before his gaze shot downward. "Are your hands thoroughly clean?"

Leonard furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down at his hands, holding them out in front of him, palms facing upward. "My hands?"

"Feel my forehead," Sheldon commanded. He took a few steps forward until he was at a close enough distance for Leonard to check his vital signs. Leonard blinked and stared up at him, and when a few seconds went by and he still wasn't pressing a hand to his forehead, Sheldon rolled his eyes and lowered his head so that Leonard, being as short as he was, could reach it more easily. "Chop, chop."

With a small sigh of annoyance, Leonard finally brought up his hand, pressing his palm to the skin of Sheldon's forehead. Sheldon flinched involuntarily, but the contact didn't last long as Leonard withdrew his hand a mere second later.

"Well?" Sheldon asked, his patience running thin. "What's the prognosis? Am I coming down with something?"

"Oh, you're coming down with something, all right," Leonard said, and he smirked.

At that, Sheldon's eyes widened, and he felt a strange jolt inside his ribcage. "What is it?"

"Well, I'll put it this way," Leonard said. "What you're experiencing right now definitely has nothing to do with getting sick."

"How can you be so sure?" Sheldon asked, feeling a new wave of panic as Leonard started walking away from him. Sheldon quickly caught up to him, falling in tow with his stride. "I'm in no mood for cracking riddles, Leonard. Now you either tell me what you mean by that right now, or…"

As Sheldon paused to think about a suitable punishment, Leonard paused in his tracks and turned to him. He lifted his chin and crossed his arms.

"Or what?" Leonard asked, still smiling, as though he knew Sheldon was just bluffing.

"Or…I'll downgrade Leonard's Day to a mere Leonard's Hour, which will occur only once per year."

"Would I still get a card?"

"Of course."

"Well, in that case, it'll pretty much be no different than Leonard's Day."

He started to walk away again, and Sheldon groaned and hurried after him.

"I don't see what you're so happy about," he said. "Just because Penny gave you a perfect ten rating for your performance in the bedroom doesn't give you the right to go walking around with a swelled head like you think you suddenly know everything."

Leonard stopped in his tracks again, the smile officially leaving his face. He stared up at Sheldon. "Damn you and your Vulcan hearing."

"Yes, damn me and my advanced human abilities that are akin to superhero powers," Sheldon said hastily. "Now, tell me what you meant about your comment about my coming down with something."

Leonard held up his hands in defeat. "You know what, forget I said anything. You're a genius. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

This time, as he walked away again, Sheldon didn't follow him right away. He stared out at Leonard's retreating form and watched as Leonard took out his keys to unlock his car. Without realizing it, his gaze slowly dropped to his shirt again, and there it stayed, until Leonard called after him.

"Come on, blue eyes, before the comic book store closes."

Sheldon's eyes widened again as he slowly looked up at Leonard, who pursed his lips and held up his car keys, jingling them back and forth, the way one would do to lure a cat. Sheldon just stood there, unable to move, as he registered Leonard's comment in his mind.

_Blue eyes?_

* * *

A sobering-up Amy finished off her third glass of water, enjoying the refreshing coolness as it hit the back of her throat. Her fuzzy head was finally starting to clear up, making her feel much more like her regular, composed and slightly guarded self again. All she would need now was a couple of aspirin before bed to assure that she'd wake up perfectly clear-minded the following morning.

"I want to apologize again for my inappropriate behavior," she said as she placed the empty glass on the table. "I didn't mean to get so worked up like that. I wholeheartedly blame it on the alcohol."

"It's fine," David said, though his hesitant tone gave Amy little reason to believe that it was, indeed, fine. He seemed to realize this, too, and added, "I just don't understand how you can tell me that you're not ready for a physical relationship, yet go against it completely by just…throwing yourself at me the way you did."

If the unexpected stab in Amy's heart had managed to transfer on her face into a clearly hurt expression, it must've been fairly obvious, for David was quick to make amends on what he'd just said.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it. I was just surprised is all." He leaned back in his seat and adjusted his glasses, pressing a finger to the bridge of his nose. "Do you always get like that when you drink?"

"I…" Amy started, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She swallowed heavily, feeling a wave of anxiety crash against her, causing her heart to start beating at a much faster tempo. It was the first moment, she realized, that she felt very uncomfortable around him, and in the root of it all, she was pretty sure she knew the reason behind it.

It started with the aftermath of the kiss they'd shared not even a half hour ago. It hadn't exactly been what she'd expected. She expected David to be happy, and she'd expected herself to be positively enthralled by outwardly experimenting with her growing physical attraction to him. She hadn't been embarrassed about it then, as she was still drunk off of the cinnamon whiskey that she was certain David must've been able to taste on her lips. Only right now was she beginning to feel the repercussions of her impromptu public kiss with him, and the main emotion she felt was shame.

Nobody around them seemed to care that they had kissed, not even David at the time. He'd just kept asking her if she was all right and if she needed to go home. She'd assured him that she was fine and, as a matter of fact, very hungry, so she managed to convince him to stay so that they could have their date night. As they'd followed the hostess to their table, David had even kept a protective arm securely wrapped around her waist, which she took to be a good sign.

It all seemed quite romantic, and even a little exciting and fun. Here they were, in a new relationship, beginning to experiment with more physical intimacy. However, now that the effects of the alcohol had worn off, Amy's clear mind allowed her to remember certain things that really didn't seem right. When she and David had first sat down at their table, Amy found herself stealthily looking back over at the bar, trying to catch the gaze of that undeniably intriguing man, Sheldon Cooper.

She'd given up after a mere several seconds or so, settling on drinking her water and looking at the menu. She soon forgot about him, anyway, as David began to explain his reasoning for being late, which she forgave him for with a heartwarming smile. It wasn't until they ordered their meals that Amy impulsively took another glance sideways. Even in her drunken state, she knew she hadn't imagined it this time when she caught Sheldon looking at her just before he left.

The feeling she got then was the kind of feeling she had expected to feel after she'd kissed David. She'd felt an exciting trill of her heart strings. A spontaneous grin had then broken out across her face, one that David had mistakenly taken as a reaction to what he was talking about. He'd smiled back at her and reached over the table to lightly touch Amy's hand. She instinctively flinched, and when she looked up at him, his own smile faltered, and she was struck with a pang of guilt.

Now, as he stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish a sentence she'd had no intention of finishing, she felt the guilt again, piled on by that shame, and her face flushed with a wave of heat that managed to solidify the severity of it all.

"I suppose I can get a little out of hand when I drink," she said at last, eyeing her water glass and wishing it wasn't empty, just so she could momentarily busy herself by taking a sip. She glanced back up at him, and seeing the familiar softness in his eyes proved to comfort her slightly, though not as much as she needed. "Can we just…pretend it never happened?"

"If that's what you want," David said in a gentle, almost fragile, tone.

Amy felt compelled to reach out and give his hand an affectionate squeeze, or even lean over the table to give him another small kiss. She felt he deserved it for once again proving his selflessness to her by putting her feelings above his own. Yet, instead, all she could do was simply offer him a very weak smile in a sign of gratitude, all the while her restless heart didn't seem the least bit content.

Apparently, she didn't know what she wanted anymore.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you for your patience in between updates.


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